Yoga, like Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a methodology ancient in origin, employed and enjoyed all across the world by those in pursuit of better health and spiritual balance.
The real benefit of yoga is found in the art of practising yoga itself; in the simple, transcendental joy of finding poses and breathing deeply. There is no 'end goal' with yoga, and that's been lost a bit - swallowed up by the interminable speed of everything around us. When everything else seems rushed, it can be tempting to rush the things that are there to slow us down. Fight against that. Such a fight becomes a lot less lonely when paired with our handpicked selection of traditional Chinese herbs, designed to produce physiological benefits that can ensure your yoga is calm, measured, and meaningful.
Whether it's specifically targeting problem areas that might inhibit your session or seeking to boost overall performance in an attempt to maximise benefits, our time-tested, 100% natural Chinese herbs can offer multiple routes to postural enlightenment. But we like to specialise at Aura Nutrition, and so it wasn't enough to simply reel off a list of supplements that might generally help with your yoga - we wanted to dive deeper.
Which herb pairing works best for Yin yoga? What combination of ailment reduction lends itself most favourably to Kundalini? Which aspects of your mental and physical state do you need to strengthen in order to reach that flow state with Vinyasa? All these questions and more are answered below, so don't be shy. Take it from us: the best way to give your yoga the time it deserves is by giving your body and mind the nourishment it needs.
Jia Wei Xiao Yao San – Increased Internal Energy Levels and Mental Clarity Make This Perfect for the Demands of Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar yoga requires three things: posture, breath control, and patience, in that order. It’s all about precise postural alignment, intentional breath work, and the patience to let both of those things work in harmonic symphony for as long as you are able.
Iyengar happily asks you to get lost in the details, no matter how granular. As with all forms of yoga, it helps to build strength, flexibility, and also aids those seeking spiritual balance.
Jia Wei Xiao Yao San is a herbal supplement that pairs perfectly with the exacting physical demands Iyengar places upon body and mind. It seeks to increase internal energy levels, which is absolutely crucial for long, intensive sessions. Its potential benefits for reducing mental fatigue and increasing mental clarity mean that enriching meditative thought patterns will be that much easier to reach.
Buy here: Jia Wei Xiao Yao San 加味逍遥散 (Angelica Sinesis & White Atractylodis)
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang – A Powerful Herb Concoction to Guide You Through a Snake-Uncoiling, Energy-Equalising Kundalini Yoga Session
The Sanskrit translation of ‘Kundalini’ is ‘Coiled snake’, which represents the mass of latent energy that sits at the base of your spine. Even outside of spiritual interpretation, most will be able to recognise the certain tension it alludes to; a bundled collection of worries and fears that seem to get harder to dispel by the day.
Kundalini aims to ‘uncoil’ that snake, to set loose that resting power. As such, a seriously strong mental base is required to achieve the most with this specific type of yoga.
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang has a range of profound potential benefits which should make it a lot easier to reach that level of mental stability. With a formula that targets stress and overall wellness, it could give your body and mind the boost it needs to tackle long kundalini sessions, which will comprise of not only poses and breathing, but also prolonged rhythmic chanting.
Buy here: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang 龙胆泻肝汤 (Cape Jasmine Fruit & Skullcap Root)
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang – This Herbal Supplement is Primed to Accentuate Yin Yoga by Increasing Blood Flow and Promoting Internal Harmony
Yin yoga is one of yoga’s most widely practised forms, and it’s not hard to see why. Placing an emphasis on slow, considered actions, it’s a fantastic place to start for the uninitiated, while still holding more than enough depth for experienced yogi.
Because of its slower pace and focus on prolonging holds, it’s a form of yoga that requires endurance, healthy blood flow, and mental calm. Luckily, Tao Hong Si Wu Tang can help with all three of those aspects.
Its potential benefits in terms of alleviating mental and physical fatigue ensure the prolonged periods of concentration needed to perform Yin Yoga won’t be inhibited by poor mental faculties.
In addition, there are potential applications as it pertains to increasing blood flow. This will always be valuable in body-intensive activities, but it's something that can contribute to good health in a larger sense too - a plus point that all of our herbal supplements could offer.
Buy here: Tao Hong Si Wu Tang 桃红四物丸 (Foxglove Root & Angelica Sinesis)
Si Wu Tang – The Energetic, Flowing Movements Of Vinyasa Can Be Powered With This Invigorating Mix of Traditional Chinese Herbs
Vinyasa yoga is the act of utilising kinetic energy, or ‘flow’, as it’s more colloquially known. If Iyengar yoga is about finding the power in specific, precise positions, Vinyasa yoga is about embracing the idea that they aren’t really ‘positions’.
Instead, they are sequentially connected pieces of the same yoga daisy chain. One move flows into the next, that moves flows into another from there, and so on.
It's regarded in some circles as a more challenging form of yoga, and so correct supplementation is absolutely essential. Circulation benefits that might come from Si Wu Tang can result in a sense of strength and overall rude health that can dovetail wonderfully with the prolonged physical demands of Vinyasa.
Coupled with the potential applications for improving overall physical and mental health, it’s a formula that seems ready-made for the flowing, zen state-inducing nature of this specific branch of yoga.
Buy here: Si Wu Tang 四物汤 (White Peony & Foxglove Root)
Gui Pi Tang – A Multi-Pronged Formula To Aid With The Multi-Limbed Challenges of Ashtanga Yoga
To the casual observer, Ashtanga yoga might seem unnecessarily demanding, especially in contrast to its less-challenging stylistic siblings. But there’s a method to these often spectacularly difficult poses; they are ultimately designed to ‘produce internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs.’ Considering how lofty a goal that is, the means make sense.
Gui Pi Tang finds its strength in its potential applications against sleep deprivation and increasing mental function. It’s important to go into Ashtanga with as steady a base as possible, and ensuring your sleep is on point and you are mentally sharp is about as solid a foundation as you can hope for.
Not unlike Ashtanga itself, Gui Pi Tang might have its own detoxification properties, with potential immune system regulation benefits one of a large number of possible alleviations.
Buy here: Gui Pi Tang 归脾汤 (Longan Fruit & Polygonum Vine)
We think these herbs are absolutely perfect for yoga, and we hope you enjoyed reading our explanations as to why. Our TCM herbs cover a wide range of uses, like formulas that can help suppress feelings of worry and concern, remedies that boost the Liver Meridian, and Chinese herbal remedies that may offer pain relief.
For a list of our entire range, just click here, and if you have any questions, feel free to shoot them over to info@auranutrition.com - we're always happy to help.
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